MTT Report 163

46 Pages·2014·2.08 MB·English

by  Maarit Heinonen

163
Landrace in situ Conservation
Strategy for Finland

Maarit Heinonen and contributors
163
Landrace in situ
Conservation Strategy for
Finland

Maarit Heinonen and contributors
The strategy reported here was made possible with funding from the EU Seventh Framework
Programme, THEME KBBE.2010.1.1-03, 'Characterization of biodiversity resources for wild crop
relatives to improve crops by breeding', Grant agreement no. 266394 to MTT Agrifood Research Finland.
This report is PGR Secure Deliverable 4.1.
The information published in this report reflects the views of the PGR Secure parents, MTT. The
European Union is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained herein.

ISBN 978-952-487-570-7
ISSN 1798-6419
URN: http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-487-570-7
http://www.mtt.fi/mttraportti/pdf/mttraportti163.pdf
Copyright: MTT
Auhtors: Maarit Heinonen
Distribution and sale: MTT, 31600 Jokioinen
Printing year: 2014
Cover picture: Hilma Kinnanen/MTT
Suomen maatiaiskasvien viljelysuojelun strategia
Heinonen, Maarit
MTT Biotekniikka- ja elintarviketutkimus, Myllytie, 31600 Jokioinen, [email protected]
Tiivistelmä
Viljelyssä harvinaistuneet maatiaiskasvit nousivat Suomessakin kansallisiksi suojelukohteiksi 2000-luvun
alussa, kun Suomi kansainvälisten sopimusten velvoittamana laati maa- ja metsätalouden
kasvigeenivaraohjelman. Suomessa viljellään yhä maatiaiskasveja, etenkin viljojen, nurmikasvien,
hedelmien, marjojen ja vihannesten paikalliskantoja. Meillä ei ole kuitenkaan kokonaisnäkemystä siitä,
kuinka paljon maatiaiskasveja on yhä viljelyssä.
Tässä raportissa kuvataan viime vuosien aikana MTT Maa- ja elintarviketalouden tutkimuskeskuksessa
tehtyjä maatiaiskasvien viljelyintentointeja ja kasvikuulutuksissa käytettyjä menetelmiä. Esitämme
inventointien tuloksia ja näiden pohjalta suosituksia maatiaiskasvien viljelysuojelun edistämiseksi
Suomessa.
Vuosina 2011-2014 teimme viljelyinventointeja paikallisomenalajikkeista, ryvässipulista sekä
maatiaisviljoista. Lisäksi listasimme alkuperäiskasvilajikkeet sekä ne paikalliskannat, jotka on hyväksytty
kasvilajikeluetteloon.
Inventointien ensi sijaisena tavoitteena oli löytää viljelyssä olevia maatiaislajikkeita, mutta myös
täydentää kansallisia kasvigeenivarakokoelmia uusilla lajikeaidoiksi todennetuilla näytteillä. Lisäksi
tavoiteena oli kehittää maatiaiskasvien lajiketunnisteita (sekä ilmiasun että genotyypin tunnisteita) myös
tulevien inventointien ja lajikeaitouden todentamisen tarpeisiin. Inventoinneissa koottiin myös
viljelijätietoja maatiaislajikkeista. Intenvointitietoja voi hyödyntää maatiaiskasvien viljelyn
edistämistarkoituksissa.
Kehitimme ja sovelsimme erilaisia maatiaiskasvien kuulutuskeinoja eri kasviryhmille. Kaikki
kasvikuulutukset julkistettiin eri medioissa ja tapahtumissa tavoittaaksemme mahdollisimman laajalti
viljelijöitä ja puutarhureita, joilla on mahdollisia maatiaiskasveja. Näitä kasvikuulutuksen kautta saatuja
kasvinäytteitä tutkittiin tarkemmin erilaisin arviointimenetelmin. Tavoiteena oli saada lajikeaitoja
näytteitä.
Maatiaiskasvien viljelyinventointien tuloksena saimme lajikeaidoiksi tunnistettua 117 eri kantaa.Näiden
lisäksi Suomessa on viljelyssä 29 maatiaislajiketta, jotka ovat kasvilajikeluettelossa.
Tämä raportti on ensimmäinen maatiaiskasvien viljelysuojelun kansallinen strategia. Strategia on koottu
osana EU-rahoitteista PGR Secure projektia ja yhteistyössä Suomen kansallisen kasvigeenivaraohjelman
kanssa. PGR Secure hankkeessa laadittiin kansalliset maatiaiskasvien suojelustrategiat kolmelle
esimerkkimaalle: Suomeen, Italiaan ja Iso-Britanniaan. Näiden kansallisten strategioiden pohjalta koottiin
ehdotus yleiseruooppalaiseksi maatiaiskasvien viljelysuojelun strategiaksi, joka ilmestyi vuonna 2014.

Avainsanat:
maatiaiskasvit, kasvigeenivarat, kansallinen suojelustrategia, in situ suojelu, Suomi

MTT REPORT 163 3
Landrace in situ conservation strategy for Finland
Heinonen, Maarit
MTT Agrifood Research Finland, Biotechnology and Food Research, Myllytie, FI-31600 Jokioinen,
[email protected]

Abstract
In Finland landraces and local strains are still cultivated to some extent, especially landraces of cereals,
forages, fruits, berries and some vegetables. However, there are no comprehensive statistics on landrace
cultivation.
This report provides the description of the latest Finnish landrace inventory process applied. We present
the general inventory results as well as discuss recommendations for the national landrace in situ
conservation drawn from the inventory experience.
During 2011-2014 landrace in situ cultivation inventories were carried out by MTT Agrifood Research
Finland. The target taxa were apple (Malus domestica), potato onion (Allium cepa Aggregatum-group)
and cereals (winter and spring rye (Secale cereale); spring barley (Hordeum vulgare); winter and spring
wheat (Triticum aestivum); oats (Avena sativa)). The data of conservation varieties and landraces
accepted to the National List of Plant Varieties were also collated.
The aims of the inventories were to identify landraces in cultivation but also complete the national ex situ
collections with variety-proved new accessions, to improve the quality of reference material (both
genotype and phenotype identifiers) for the future use of variety verification, to collect farmer knowledge
and to promote the continuity of landrace growing.
Different inventory methods were developed depending on the target taxa and facilities for variety
identification. The shared method with all inventories was to prepare and release public calls or
announcements to find farmers and gardeners with potential landraces to get the plant material for further
evaluation.
The landrace in situ cultivation inventories produced results of 144 landraces, of which 117 were variety
verified by the inventory projects. Some of them especially local apple variety clones and landrace strains
of grass plant crops are rather commonly cultivated throughout Finland, in particular in the Central and
Eastern part.
This report is the national strategy for landrace in situ conservation for Finland. The strategy has been
compiled as part of the PGR Secure project and activities within the Finnish National Plant Genetic
Resources Programme during 2011-2014. The national landrace conservation strategies prepared during
the PGR Secure project in Finland, The Great Britain and Italy formed the basis for the Generic European
landrace in situ conservation strategy published in 2014.

Keywords:
landraces, plant genetic resources, national strategy, in situ cultivation, in situ conservation,
Finland

4 MTT REPORT 163
Contents

Foreword ...................................................................................................................................................... 6 

1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 8 
1.1 Need for landrace in situ cultivation inventories .................................................................................8 
1.2 Finnish National Programme for Plant Genetic Resources ..................................................................8 
1.3 Definitions of landrace and in situ conservation ................................................................................ 10 
1.4 Ecogeography of Finland ................................................................................................................... 11 

2 Methodology ............................................................................................................................................13 

3 Landraces ex situ maintained ...................................................................................................................15 
3.1 Ex situ seed collections ...................................................................................................................... 15 
3.2 Ex situ field collections ...................................................................................................................... 17 

4 Conservation varieties ..............................................................................................................................20 
4.1 Subsidiary system for conservation varieties ..................................................................................... 20 
4.2 Current conservation varieties ............................................................................................................ 20 

5 Cereal in situ inventory ............................................................................................................................24 
5.1 Background ........................................................................................................................................ 24 
5.2 Previous inventories ........................................................................................................................... 24 
5.3 Current in situ inventory .................................................................................................................... 26 

6 Potato onion in situ inventory ..................................................................................................................28 
6.1 Background ........................................................................................................................................ 28 
6.2 Current in situ inventory .................................................................................................................... 29 

7 Apple in situ inventory .............................................................................................................................31 
7.1 Background ........................................................................................................................................ 31 
7.2 Current apple in situ inventory ........................................................................................................... 31 

8 Conclusions and recommendations ..........................................................................................................35 
8.1 Recommendations for landrace in situ conservation in Finland ........................................................ 35 
8.2 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................... 36 

9 References ................................................................................................................................................38 

10 Annex .....................................................................................................................................................41 

MTT REPORT 163 5
Foreword
This strategy has been compiled as part of PGR Secure project - Novel characterization of crop wild
relative and landrace resources as a basis for improved crop breeding - which is funded by the EU
Seventh Framework Programme, THEME KBBE.2010.1.1-03, 'Characterization of biodiversity resources
for wild crop relatives to improve crops by breeding', Grant agreement no. 266394 to MTT Agrifood
Research Finland. One of the elements of the project was to create national landrace conservation
strategies. The Finnish strategy was prepared as the part of the activities within the Finnish National Plant
Genetic Resource Programme. The set of landrace in situ cultivation inventories and variety verifications
have been co-funded by Finnish Cultural Foundation, Uusimaa Regional Fund, MTT Agrifood Research
Finland, and the Finnish National PGR Programme.
The aim of PGR Secure project was to research novel characterization techniques and conservation
strategies for European crop wild relative and landrace diversity, and further, to enhance crop
improvement by breeders, as a means of underpinning European food security in the face of climate
change. To achieve these goals, PGR Secure had four research themes:
1. Investigation of novel characterization techniques, including: (1a) Genomics, phenotyping and
metabolomics, (1b) Transcriptomics, (1c) Focused Identification of Germplasm Strategy.
2. Crop wild relative and landrace conservation, including: (2a) Europe-wide crop wild relative
inventory, (2b) Exemplar national crop wild relative inventories, (2c) European crop wild relative
strategy, (2d) Europe-wide landrace inventory, (2e) Exemplar national landrace inventories, (2f)
European landrace strategy.
3. Facilitating breeders’ crop wild relative and landrace use, including: (3a) Identifying breeders’
needs, (3b) Meeting breeders’ needs, (3c) Integration of conservation and user communities, (3d)
Pre-breeding – channelling potential interesting germplasm into commercial breeding
programmes.
4. Informatics development, including: (4a) Crop wild relative and landrace inventory information
web availability, (4b) Novel characterization information web availability, (4c) Inter-information
system operability.
The PGR Secure project partners were: (1) University of Birmingham (UOB), Unisted Kingdom (co-
ordinator), (2) Stichting Dienst Landbouwkundig Onderzoek (DLO), The Netherlands, (3) Bioversity
International (BIOVER), Italy, (4) Universita Degli Studi Di Perugia (UNIPG), Italy, (5) Julius Kühn
Institut Bundesforschungsinstitut für Kulturpflanzen (JKI), Germany, (6) Nordiskt Genresurscenter
(NordGen), Sweden, (7) Maa- ja elintarviketalouden tutkimuskeskus (MTT), Finland, (8) Universidad
Rey Juan Carlos (URJC), Spain, (9) ServiceXS BV (SXS), The Netherlands, (University of Nottingham
(UNOTT), United Kingdom, (11) European Association for Research on Plant Breeding (EUCARPIA),
Switzerland (Associate Partner). The External Advisory Board members were: Carl Bulich (German Plant
Breeders Association), Véronique Chable (French National Institute for Agricultural Research), Norman
Ellstrand (University of California), Anton Güntsch (Berlin Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum),
Anke van den Hurk (Plantum NL), Merja Veteläinen (Boreal Plant Breeding Ltd.) and John Wiersema
(USDA Agricultural Research Service). The Breeders Committee members were: Steffen Beuch
(Nordstaat Satzucht GmbH), Jan Leendert Herrewijn (Nickerson-Zwaan), Andreas Loock (KWS SAAT
AG), Axel Schechert (Strube Research) and Fabio Veronesi (University of Perugia).
The research required the integration and collaboration of European policy, conservation and breeding
sectors and the products will be disseminated Europe-wide to all appropriate stakeholders. The project,
initiated by the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR) In Situ and On-
Farm Conservation Network involves 42 European countries, as well as both large and smaller European
plant breeding companies.
6 MTT REPORT 163
MTT Agrifood Research Finland was involved in preparing national in situ conservation strategies for
both landraces and crop wild relatives as well as preparing both European conservation strategies for
landraces and crop wild relatives.
The landrace in situ cultivation inventories in Finland have involved many experts providing practical
work, advice and contacts. Particular gratitude for advice to Merja Veteläinen (Boreal Plant Breeding
Ltd.), Kaarina Paavilainen (Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira), Elina Kiviharju (Finnish National
PGR Programme) and for practical work to colleagues at MTT Agrifood Research Finland: Hilma
Kinnanen (apple inventory, apple ex situ field collection), Kristiina Antonius (DNA analyses of potato
onions and apples), Pirjo Tanhuanpää (apple DNA analyses), Ritva Valo (apple inventory, GIS), Jaana
Ala-Kaarre (DNA extraction), Leena Lohermaa (DNA extraction), Sirpa Moisander (DNA
extraction), Mika Raivonen (maps, ITC), Merja Hartikainen (Sesto and other databases, distribution of
call material), Outi Kasari (print outs of call material) , the media team for the active assistance for
distributing calls as well as the chairs of national PGR working groups Terhi Suojala-Ahlfors
(vegetables, herbs and medicinal crops), Jaana Laamanen (fruits and berries) and Sirkka Juhanoja
(landscape gardening plants). Many compliments also to Krista Kettunen for editing the manuscript to
the publication of the MTT Report series.
The colleagues of the PGR Secure project have all provided discussions of great importance on landrace
in situ conservation strategies, particular gratitude to Valeria Negri (University of Perugia, IT), Renzo
Torricelli (University of Perugia, IT), Nigel Maxted (University of Birmingham, UK) and Shelagh Kell
(University of Birmingham, UK).
The very special compliments go to the numerous private persons growing landraces, because without the
knowledge and plant samples provided by them inventories had been impossible to carry through.

At Jokioinen 24th October 2014

Maarit Heinonen
MTT Agrifood Research Finland

MTT REPORT 163 7
1 Introduction
1.1 Need for landrace in situ cultivation inventories
Genetic resources of cultivated plants comprise the genepool which is available for human utilization:
different species and variation within species. Plant genetic resources are important for agriculture,
forestry, and also for the cultural heritage of each country and region. These plants have been adapting for
centuries to local climate, soil, landscape and culture and this makes them unique. Conservation of
genetic resources ensures that diversity is available also to the future needs of growers, breeders,
researchers and of the entire community.
Only a few crops are used in modern agriculture and these often have a narrow genetic base. This
contrasts with the large number of landraces with a substantial genetic variation used by earlier
generations. The increasing genetic impoverishment may have serious consequences, especially when
facing a changed climate. It has been shown that crop varieties with a narrow genetic base can be
destroyed by diseases. Hence the organized preservation of genetic resources is a prerequisite for future
generations to be able to face new challenges.
In cultivation or in the original growing place conserved material is subject to the varying conditions of
the growing environment, and plant individuals which are better adapted to changing surroundings are
continuously being selected. This may in future add new and unexpected values into those old cultivars.
Cultivation of landraces enables also wider re-use of the traditional selection of cultivated plants. New
ways of utilization can be found for old cultivated varieties, the history continues in the present time. Also
modern cultivars, which have the traits of producing for example health promoting substances transferred
from landraces, increase the selection of the available products.
The international policies and strategies for a sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and
agriculture have emphasized also the need for in situ conservation. Many papers specifically referring to
Europe (e.g. Veteläinen et al., 2009) have stressed the need for landrace in situ cultivation inventory to
enable the in situ conservation and enhancing broad, active and sustainable use of landraces.
In Finland landraces and local strains are still cultivated to some extent, especially landraces of cereals,
forages, fruits, berries and some vegetables. However, there are no comprehensive statistics on landrace
cultivation.
The aims of the current Finnish landrace inventories were to identify landraces in cultivation but also
complete the national ex situ collections with variety-proved new accessions, to improve the quality of
reference material (both genotype and phenotype identifiers) for the future use of variety verification, to
collect farmer knowledge and to promote the continuity of landrace growing.
This report provides the description of the latest Finnish landrace inventory process applied. We present
the general inventory results as well as discuss recommendations for the national landrace in situ
conservation drawn from the inventory experience.
1.2 Finnish National Programme for Plant Genetic Resources
The Finnish National Programme for Plant Genetic Resources was founded at 2003 to enhance
conservation of genetic resources in agriculture and forestry. The programme covers plant genetic
resources (PGR) both for agriculture and horticulture; and forestry. MTT Agrifood Research Finland is
responsible for the coordination of agricultural and horticultural PGR and for preservation of vegetative
propagated crops and some other crops at the ex situ field and cryo collections. The Finnish Forest
8 MTT REPORT 163
Research Institute is responsible for the conservation of genetic resources of forest trees.1 Conservation
consist not only taking care of PGR collections but enhancing sustainable use and public awareness of the
national PGR. According to the Finnish constitution, all citizens and organizations are responsible for
nature, its diversity, the environment and Finnish cultural heritage, and thus all contribute to the
realization of the programme. (This chapter: see for more detailsVeteläinen et al. 2008; Kiviharju 2014;
MTT 2014a, MMM 2001.)
The most important international agreement relevant to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture is
the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. It entered into force in
2004 and Finland ratifies the Treaty during the same year. Finland is fully committed to the provisions of
the Treaty and the implementing is under way on the Nordic and national level. Finland is also a member
of the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR). For Finland the most
important ECPGR working groups had been the ones dealing with cereals; fruits and berries; potato;
forages; medicinal and aromatic plants; and on-farm and in situ conservation. The Nordic collaboration is
very close, since the ex situ conservation of seed propagated crops and potato of Finnish origin is
organized in the Nordic Center for Genetic Resources (NordGen) jointly with all five Nordic countries.
NordGen working groups (of cereals, forage crops, fruit, berries and ornamentals, vegetables and potato,
industrial crops) have been composed by experts of plant breeding and research from Nordic countries.
The National Advisory Board for Genetic Resources advises and monitors the Finnish National PGR
Programme. The board has broad representation from diverse ministries, universities, research institutes,
stakeholders and NGOs. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in Finland appoints the board for four
years period of time. The chairman of the board is a representative of the Ministry of Agriculture and
Forestry. At the moment there is one full-time programme coordinator who is in charge of the agricultural
and horticultural crops under the programme and also acts as the secretary of the board. One programme
coordinator is in charge of the forest trees.
The PGR working groups at MTT Agrifood Research Finland have organizational responsibility for
managing the ex situ field collections. Decisions of the long term preservation and organization of the
collections are made in the national working groups established for different plant groups. There are
working groups for (1) fruits and berries; (2) vegetables, herbs and medicinal crops; (3) field crops; and
(4) landscape gardening. In addition there is a group working with demonstration of the PGR at the MTT
headquarter at Jokioinen. The members of the working groups are recognized national experts on the
respective crops and genetic resources.
One of the tasks of the Finnish National PGR Programme is to promote the possibility of landraces and
old commercial cultivars to remain in active cultivation. Traditionally used plants and their old cultivated
forms are part of valuable Finnish cultural heritage, which is threatened to disappear from the cultivation
use. It is important to have an extensive view of what the present situation is in farming of these old
plants, to enable the programme to support and enhance these activities. Finnish PGR researchers are
gathering information with questionnaires, interviews and calls. Researchers are looking for growers and
enthusiasts who grow and cultivate landraces and old cultivars. Researchers are also surveying old plants
kept in the old yards and gardens as well as of different types of museums, for example local museums,
outdoors museums and manor house museums.
As evaluated in the ten year jubilee seminar of the Finnish National PGR Programme (Kiviharju 2014, 4):
During the first ten years of the programme the focus of the activities has been more in the vegetatively
propagated plants. The ex situ field collections of MTT have been evaluated, and plant inventories are
continuously made to find landraces still in cultivation but missing from the collections. Much of this
work is done in the different research projects, such as the recent calls for fruit trees, potato onions, hops
and cereals. Diversity of the collected material is analyzed by DNA markers when possible, to select
genetically wide material and discard duplicates. Fingerprinting is developed especially for fruit and berry
species. Cryopreservation provides a cost efficient way to ensure safety duplicates of vegetatively
propagated plants in long term storage, and these protocols have so far developed especially for berry
species. Information of vegetative collections is managed nationally, and the accession data is currently

1 From 2015 on the National Resources Institute will be responsible for the coordination of all national programmes of genetic
resources in agriculture and forestry in Finland. MTT Agrifood Research Finland, the Finnish Forest Research Institute (Metla),
the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute (RKTL) and the statistical services of the Information Centre of the Ministry
of Agriculture and Forestry (Tike) are to be merged under a new entity called Natural Resources Institute Finland as of 1 January
2015.
MTT REPORT 163 9